If the World Crashes Down
by LittleMaggie
Summary: What are Hermione's feelings? Will she be able to tell Harry the truth? Will Harry understand? A song-fic dedicated to my favorite pairing!


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Author's Note: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to him. I believe J.K. Rowling does, when I last checked. :-) I also do not own Enrique Inglesias or any of his music, of course! I thank him for his great song "If the World Crashes Down" on his new _Escape_ C.D.

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If the World Crashes Down

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You make me strong

You make me weak

You lift me off my feet

Hermione glanced down at the book unfolded on her lap. It felt so warm and out of place on her thighs, as if she was supposed to be doing some other activity, not sitting inside the cold, dank library and reading ahead in all her text books. Yet, she had little else to do at the moment. Her mind was drawing cruel blanks, creating prolonged and dawdling moments of silence where she longed to find answers to problems long unsolved.

The picture in her book slowly formed an image. Though it was a simple wand, a standard eleven-inch oak wand with a phoenix feather in back, it took form into a broom, on which she could only imagine Harry riding away into what was surely a sunset. Her eyes closed. She would never pass her Potions exam if she continued to 'study' in this manner.

She trailed off in her thoughts and a new idea formed in her head: what would it be like if she'd mount the broom with Harry, and fly off into the sunset with him? She could imagine him lifting her up, putting her beside him on the broom, her body growing weak in fear as he slowly spiraled upwards. Her mouth opened very slightly to taste the cotton-candy clouds and touch the golden rays of sunlight that licked at her cheeks.

The book slipped from her lap with a clatter, the papers fluttering apart.

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You give me hope

When all my dreams

Seem like they're out of reach

The mess was a hopeless one. She blushed a light maroon color and kneeled down on the cold tiled floor, hiking her robes up to keep them from getting dirty. Her knees cracked and her blush grew to be on the verge of crimson. As she began to gather the papers together, she felt a hand skim hers. She looked up, hope fluttering inside her heart.

Harry was reaching out towards her, trying to hand her a handful of papers he had managed to scoop up already. " Couldn't help but hear you… pretty noisy study habits you have, don't you think?" Harry asked, gently.

The question demanded no other answer but the solemn and reverent nod that Hermione gave him as she hugged the papers to her chest. Her mind tried to decipher past the iron wall of nonentity to recall a spell that would fix a broken spine on a book.

" It's a nice day outside. How do you feel like a improvised broom-flying lesson?" His grin broadened as he saw how quick Hermione was to nod.

She could barely get the courage up to reply: "Alright." Then, she added, in a reprimanding tone: "I was going to study for Potions, though. I don't have too much time." Immediately, her stomach gave her a sharp pain as if in lecture of the foolish words she spoke. **_Now, why did I go and say that?_**

Harry looked downcast for a moment, then replied: " You'll forget all about it, once you're soaring over the ground. It's fun, trust me." There was emphasis on the last words, as if he was trying to test something in her.

A defense mechanism reacted deep inside her heart. " Of course I trust you, Harry. We've been friends for _ages_."

" Then what are we standing around for like sticks in the mud? Let's go." A newfound glory washed over him and he took her hand in an innocent, childish gesture, like children leading one another across a playground. Yet, the touch seemed to reactivate her blush.

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You make me understand

The way the perfect love should be

You take me to a place

So high

Harry's broomstick wobbled dangerously as Hermione climbed on behind him. He shook his head and said: " No, no, get in front. I don't want you falling off." His smile was one that showed he wished her in front, closer to him, for more reasons then her safety. Hermione could only guess what the gleam in his eyes meant. 

The sun was just beginning to shine in a red aura. Hermione felt a sudden flashback to her daydream. Was this truly the perfect love, two people slowly elevating towards a blazing light in the sky? She blinked and then realized he was waiting for some sort of reaction from her.

Hermione nodded and replied: " Good idea." She climbed up in front of him and then waited for the sinking in her stomach, as the broom would begin to rise. Though she rode less on her broom then most students, Hermione was familiar with the sensations that crossed the body while broom riding.

He put his arm on her stomach, not daring invade her in any way by placing his hand an inch higher or lower. Hermione could feel a nervousness pulsate from him. " What? Did you forget how to ride a broom?"

" What do you expect? There'd been no games for weeks now." Harry answered, returning the dose of sarcasm she passed up. No mean-spiritedness aired in this exchange of words.

Hermione's eyelids fused together in fear as she could feel the air rushing up beneath her, billowing her robes, fluttering her hair. She knew it was tickling Harry's face, but she could do nothing but wait for any request from him about putting her hair in a ponytail of some sort.

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I never wanna leave

Sometimes I think of all the things

I should have said

**_I've been too mean, _**Hermione decided, **_I should have said something else, about the weather, the sunset…_** Her heartbeat fluttered as the broom slowly stopped and now moved forwards. " Harry…" She began. She wondered if she should ever tell him how she felt. Perhaps it was her brief time dating Viktor Krum that made her realize the one void in her life that not even endless good books could fill – love. She had love, of course, from her friends and family, but she had no true love from a member of the opposite sex.

Harry was at one time madly infatuated with Cho Chang, though, and she wondered if his mind had ever abandoned her. Hermione could take hours of waiting for him to make a first move, but she could see that Harry was already discouraged and nervous from various unpleasant moments with Cho. Cho was grieving for Ceddric, and Harry was not the one to take Ceddric's shoes at the time.

" What is it?" He asked.

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I wanna make you understand

If the world crashes down over me

I know that my life is complete

Cause I've held you 

In my arms all night

" It's nice, the sunset, I mean." Hermione stammered. She sounded so false as she said it, just as people ask you 'How are you' but never wait to hear your reply.

" I think so, too. I always wanted to show you a sunset." Harry stopped. " I know you've seen sunsets, of course, but I mean - - one that we both watch together. It's sort of neat to share something like this with others."

" Who else did you show it to?" Hermione asked, taking a breathtaking glance at the dazzling view of the setting golden crown in the horizon. The night sky was slowly darkening by the moment. 

" Only you." Harry admitted. " Well, and the Gryffindor team, when we'd practice late into the night, but only you, for real."

She grinned and tears danced in her eyes. " I'm glad." She could only say. He'd grown bolder, pulling her closer, both his arms wrapping around her as the broom sailed on it's own, slightly steered to the left to begin floating back to Hogwarts castle.

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Cause I can't imagine life

Without you by my side

You whisper in my ear the words:

" Just hold me close tonight."

Hermione wondered how Harry could tell that she needed this from him, this reassuring hold around her middle, a comforter blanket for her. She looked back, facing him. " Harry, I guess I have to tell you something."

His eyes hooked on hers.

" I think I like you. Not just as a friend, but I think I like you more then that. I suppose it's about time that I tell you how I feel. I understand if you want to grow apart a bit, but… I just can't tell you how happy this memory will be for me, in the future… I'd regret it forever if I didn't tell you now."

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And when the pain is holding me

Then, there was nothing left on her conscience. She'd told him, and in the brief silence, she awaited the reply, the pain in her stomach increasing, and not just from the broom flight. " Hermione." He finally said, tenderly. " I…"

He brushed his nose against her cheek, missing her lips and kissing the tip of her nose instead. "This will be a great memory for me too, because I feel the same way."

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Your love just sets me free

Author's Ending Note: Yep, that's it! ^_^ … review and tell me what you like/ don't like. How's my grammar, spelling, and my general use of wording? Fifth grade level sort of writing (again?)?


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